No-Fly Zone In Syria: Why Not?

Despite the ongoing atrocities in Syria, the international community remains deeply divided over whether to institute a no-fly zone over the country.

Wednesday, Human Rights Watch reported that dozens of people were killed by Syrian government airstrikes in the rebel-controlled town Azaz, just as the U.N. released a report alleging Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces and pro-regime militias committed war crimes. More than 20,000 have been killed in Syria over the last 17 months, according to recent estimates.

To discuss the latest developments in Syria, I was joined by Phyllis Bennis, from the Institute for Policy Studies, Mouaz Mostafa, who works with both the Syrian and Libyan opposition groups in the U.S., Asma Magariaf, a Libyan-American activist, and Velma Sarich, the founder of the local Post-Conflict Research Center.

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Related on HuffPost: Key Players In Syria (Captions courtesy of AP):

Key Players In Syria

Key Players In Syria

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Syrian Regime

Despite major defections and a July 18. explosion in Damascus that killed four top generals, including President Bashar Assad's brother-in-law, the regime's inner circle is still powerful and united against the opposition. Assad's inner circle includes his younger brother, Maher, who commands the forces in charge of protecting the capital. It also includes the heads of the four intelligence agencies playing a major role in the crackdown. Although regime forces lost parts of the northern city of Aleppo, Syria's largest, government troops still control most cities, while the opposition dominates large parts of the countryside.
Caption: This June 13, 2000, file photo shows Syrian President Bashar Assad, right, his brother Maher, center, and brother-in-law Major General Assef Shawkat, left. (AP Photo, File)